Samurai on horseback in Vancouver; circa 1930
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SJCTM - 18 - Samurai
In this episode, Raymond and Carolyn discuss the samurai way of life - from the Satsuma clan to Inazo Nitobe's Bushido - and its possible influence on Japanese Canadian history and culture. While the figure of the samurai has been popularly mythologized in Western culture by the likes of Tom Cruise, many real-life samurai emigrated from Japan in the late 19th century to build new lives for themselves in places like Canada. Some went on to become Canadian citizens, and fight for their adopted country in the First World War.
Related gallery exhibit - 物部: Warrior Spirit, The Bravery and Honour of Japanese Canadian Soldiers in the First World War (October 8, 2016 - January 15, 2017)
Further reading
Ito, Roy. We Went to War: The Story of the Japanese Canadians who Served During the First and Second World Wars. Stittsville: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1984.
Kishibe, Kaye. Battlefield at Last. Toronto, 2007.
Nitobe, Inazo. Bushido, the Soul of Japan. Project Gutenberg.
"Satsuma Rebellion: Satsuma Clan Samurai Against the Imperial Japanese Army". HistoryNet. World History Group, 2006. Accessed 2016.
Yamamoto, Tsunetomo. Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai. Various translations available.